System and method for audio system configuration

• US 20050063554A1
• Filed: 10/12/2004
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Devantier, Allan O., Welti, Todd S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,280,076 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/99
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• 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 7/302 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

A system is provided for configuring an audio system for a given space. The system may statistically analyze potential configurations of the audio system to configure the audio system. The potential configurations may include positions of the loudspeakers, numbers of loudspeakers, types of loudspeakers, listening positions, correction factors, filters, or any combination thereof. The statistical analysis may indicate at least one metric of the potential configuration including indicating consistency of predicted transfer functions, flatness of the predicted transfer functions, differences in overall sound pressure level from seat to seat for the predicted transfer functions, efficiency of the predicted transfer functions, or the output of predicted transfer functions. The system also provides a methodology for selecting loudspeaker locations, the number of loudspeakers, the types of loudspeakers, correction factors, listening positions, crossover filters or a combination of these schemes in an audio system that has a single listening position or multiple listening positions.

Claims

1. An audio system comprising at least one crossover filter, the crossover filter selected based on a method comprising:

generating acoustic signals from at least one loudspeaker placed at potential loudspeaker locations;

recording transfer functions for the generated acoustic signals at a plurality of listening positions;

modifying the transfer functions based on potential crossover filters in order to generate predicted transfer functions;

statistically analyzing across at least one frequency of the predicted transfer functions for the plurality of listening positions; and

selecting a crossover filter for the audio system based on the statistical analysis.

2. The audio system of claim 1, where the audio system is in a vehicle.

3. The audio system of claim 2, where the audio system comprises a plurality of speakers;

and

where the crossover filters associated with each speaker are selected based on the method.

4. The audio system of claim 1, where the potential crossover filters vary based on 3 dB down point and order of the filters.

5. The audio system of claim 1, where statistically analyzing across at least one frequency of the predicted transfer functions for the plurality of listening positions comprises statistically analyzing for at least one metric;

and

selecting a crossover filter based on the statistical analysis comprises selecting a potential crossover filter based on the at least one metric.

6. The audio system of claim 1, where the statistical analysis is selected from the group consisting of mean spatial variance, mean spatial standard deviation, mean spatial envelope, and mean spatial maximum average.

7. The audio system of claim 1, where the statistical analysis comprises mean spatial variance.

8. The audio system of claim 7, where the mean spatial variance is based on an average of spatial variance across the listening positions for a plurality of frequencies.

9. The audio system of claim 8, where selecting a crossover filter based on the statistical analysis comprises selecting a potential crossover filter which has a lower mean spatial variance than other potential crossover filters.

10. The audio system of claim 1, where the audio system comprises at least one loudspeaker with an operating range, and

where the selected crossover filer attenuates frequencies outside of the operating range of the loudspeaker.

11. The audio system of claim 10, where the audio system comprises at least one main speaker and at least one subwoofer, and

where the crossover filter for the main speaker comprises a high-pass filter;

and

where the crossover filter for the subwoofer comprises a low-pass filter.

12. The audio system of claim 1, where crossover filter is selected from the group consisting of low-pass filter and high-pass filter.

13. A method of selecting a crossover filter for an audio system, the method comprising:

generating acoustic signals from at least one loudspeaker placed at potential loudspeaker locations;

recording transfer functions for the generated acoustic signals at a plurality of listening positions;

modifying the transfer functions based on potential crossover filters in order to generate predicted transfer functions;

statistically analyzing across at least one frequency of the predicted transfer functions for the plurality of listening positions; and

selecting the crossover filter for the audio system based on the statistical analysis.

14. The method of claim 13, where the audio system is in a vehicle.

15. The method of claim 13, where the potential crossover filters vary based on 3 dB down point and order of the filters.

16. The method of claim 13, where statistically analyzing across at least one frequency of the predicted transfer functions for the plurality of listening positions comprises statistically analyzing for at least one metric;

and

selecting a crossover filter based on the statistical analysis comprises selecting a potential crossover filter based on the at least one metric.

17. The method of claim 13, where the statistical analysis is selected from the group consisting of mean spatial variance, mean spatial standard deviation, mean spatial envelope, and mean spatial maximum average.

18. The method of claim 13, where the statistical analysis comprises mean spatial variance.

19. The method of claim 18, where the mean spatial variance is based on an average of spatial variance across the listening positions for a plurality of frequencies.

20. The method of claim 19, where selecting a crossover filter based on the statistical analysis comprises selecting a potential crossover filter which has a lower mean spatial variance than other potential crossover filters.