Sound field reproduction system

• US 8,045,736 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Shibata, Kiyosei, Maeda, Masanobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Dao
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TRAM HOANG
• Application Number:
  US11/948,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20080130922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• Field of Search: 381/1, 381/86, 381/97, 381/388, 381/333, 381/302, 381/389, 381/300, 381/303, 381/304, 381/301, 381/305, 381/306, 381/307, 381/332, 381/386, 381/387, 381/71.4, 381/71.2, 381/71.6, 381/308, 381/101, 381/71.8, 381/17, 381/27, 381/89, 455/569.2, 295/250.1
• US Class Current: 381/302
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/403 loud-speakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/20 Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic H04R2203/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/023 in a chair, pillow
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 1/002 Non-adaptive circuits, e.g. manually adjustable or static, for enhancing the sound image or the spatial distribution control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field H04S7/30

Abstract

The present invention is directed to providing a sound field reproduction system that can enhance the sound separation between the front and rear seats or left and right seats of a vehicle. The sound field reproduction system includes a control unit for creating a first sound signal and a second sound signal from one or a plurality of sources, a narrow-directional speaker mounted on the front seat side of the vehicle, a speaker mounted on the rear seat side of the vehicle, and a signal processing unit for driving the narrow-directional speaker based on the first sound signal that has been processed according to frequency range, and for driving the speaker based on the second sound signal.

Claims

1. A sound field reproduction system comprising:

a control unit for creating a first sound signal and a second sound signal from one or a plurality of sources;

a narrow-directional speaker mounted in or near a front seat of a vehicle;

a speaker mounted in or near a rear seat of said vehicle; and

a signal processing unit for driving said narrow-directional speaker based on said first sound signal that has been processed according to a frequency range, and for driving said speaker based on said second sound signal, wherein said signal processing unit is configured to create a first sound-leakage reducing sound signal from said first sound signal, to combine said first sound-leakage reducing sound signal with said second sound signal, to create a second sound-leakage reducing sound signal from said second sound signal, and to combine said second sound-leakage reducing sound signal with said first sound signal.

2. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 1, further comprising a front-seat vibrating device mounted in the front seat of said vehicle.

3. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 2, wherein said signal processing unit is configured to output:

a low-frequency range signal contained in said first sound signal to said front-seat vibrating device,

a mid-to-high frequency range signal contained in said first sound signal to said narrow-directional speaker,

a second sound-leakage reducing signal created from a mid-frequency range signal contained in said second sound signal to said narrow-directional speaker,

said second sound signal to said speaker, and

a first sound-leakage reducing signal created from a mid-frequency range signal contained in said first sound signal to said speaker.

4. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 1, further comprising a rear-seat vibrating device mounted in the rear seat of said vehicle.

5. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 4, wherein said signal processing unit is configured to output:

a low-frequency range signal contained in said first sound signal to said front-seat vibrating device,

a mid-to-high frequency range signal contained in said first sound signal to said narrow-directional speaker,

a second sound-leakage reducing signal created from a mid-frequency range signal contained in said second sound signal to said narrow-directional speaker,

a low-frequency range signal contained in said second sound signal to said rear-seat vibrating device,

a mid-to-high frequency range signal contained in said second sound signal to said speaker, and

a first sound-leakage reducing signal created from a mid-frequency range signal contained in said first sound signal to said speaker.

6. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein said narrow-directional speaker is an array speaker having a plurality of speaker units.

7. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 6, wherein said plurality of speaker units are arranged at equal distances from a listener.

8. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 7, further comprising an adjusting circuit for adjusting sound signals to be output to said plurality of speaker units.

9. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 8, further comprising a storage means for storing a plurality of settings defining a parameter for adjusting the sound signals to be output to said plurality of speaker units, and

a setting selecting means for selecting one of said plurality of settings.

10. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 8, wherein said adjusting circuit is a gain adjusting circuit for adjusting a gain of at least one of the plurality of sound signals to be output to said plurality of speaker units.

11. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 8, wherein said adjusting circuit is a phase adjusting circuit for adjusting a phase of at least one of the plurality of sound signals to be output to said plurality of speaker units.

12. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 8, wherein said adjusting circuit is a delay amount adjusting circuit for adjusting an amount of delay of at least one of the plurality of sound signals to be output to said plurality of speaker units.

13. A sound field reproduction system comprising:

a control unit for creating a first sound signal and a second sound signal from one or a plurality of sources;

a first narrow-directional speaker mounted on a passenger side of a vehicle;

a second narrow-directional speaker mounted on a driver side of said vehicle; and

a signal processing unit for driving said first narrow-directional speaker based on said first sound signal that has been processed according to frequency range, and for driving said second narrow-directional speaker based on said second sound signal has been processed according to a frequency range, wherein said signal processing unit is configured to create a first sound-leakage reducing sound signal from said first sound signal, to combine said first sound-leakage reducing sound signal with said second sound signal, to create a second sound-leakage reducing sound signal from said second sound signal, and to combine said second sound-leakage reducing sound signal with said first sound signal.

14. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 13, further comprising a first vibrating device mounted on the passenger side of said vehicle and a second vibrating device mounted on the driver side of said vehicle.

15. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 14, wherein said signal processing unit is configured to output:

a low-frequency range signal contained in said first sound signal to said first vibrating device,

a mid-to-high frequency range signal contained in said first sound signal to said first narrow-directional speaker,

a second sound-leakage reducing signal created from a mid-frequency range signal contained in said second sound signal to said first narrow-directional speaker,

a low-frequency range signal contained in said second sound signal to said second vibrating device,

a mid-to-high frequency range signal contained in said second sound signal to said second narrow-directional speaker, and

a first sound-leakage reducing signal created from a mid-frequency range signal contained in said first sound signal to said second narrow-directional speaker.

16. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 13, wherein each of said first and second narrow-directional speaker is an array speaker having a plurality of speaker units.

17. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 16, wherein said plurality of speaker units are arranged at equal distances from a listener.

18. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 17, further comprising an adjusting circuit for adjusting sound signals to be output to said plurality of speaker units.

19. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 18, further comprising a storage means for storing a plurality of settings defining a parameter for adjusting the sound signals to be output to said plurality of speaker units, and

a setting selecting means for selecting one of said plurality of settings.

20. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 18, wherein said adjusting circuit is a gain adjusting circuit for adjusting a gain of at least one of the plurality of sound signals to be output to said plurality of speaker units.

21. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 18, wherein said adjusting circuit is a phase adjusting circuit for adjusting the phase of at least one of the plurality of sound signals to be output to said plurality of speaker units.

22. The sound field reproduction system according to claim 18, wherein said adjusting circuit is a delay amount adjusting circuit for adjusting an amount of delay of at least one of the plurality of sound signals to be output to said plurality of speaker units.