System for location-sensitive reproduction of audio signals

• US 20070041598A1
• Filed: 03/29/2004
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Niehoff, Wolfgang, Meyer, Rolf, Pfeifer, Guenther, Hoffman, Ruediger
• Application Number:
  US10/556,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20070041598A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

The invention concerns a system for and a method of location-sensitive reproduction of audio signals. The object of the invention is therefore to provide a system for the reproduction of audio signals, which is capable of providing for optimum reproduction of audio signals at a plurality of points in space. In accordance with the invention, a system for location-sensitive reproduction of audio signals comprises at least one electroacoustic transducer for the reproduction of audio signals, at least one location-sensitive detection device for detecting the position of at least one object for which a reproduction of audio signals is intended, and a central unit for calculating and controlling the audio signal output of each individual transducer for the optimum reproduction of the audio signals at the position of the object, which is detected by the location-sensitive detection device.

Claims

1-7. -7. (canceled)

8. A system for location-sensitive recording/reproduction of audio signals comprising:

a plurality of electroacoustic transducers for the reproduction of first audio signals;

a plurality of microphones for recording second audio signals;

at least one location-sensitive detection device for detecting the position of at least one object; and

a central unit for calculating and controlling the audio signal output of each individual electroacoustic transducer for the optimum reproduction of the first audio signals at the position of the object, which is detected by the location-sensitive detection device, and for correlating the second audio signals recorded by the microphones and the items of position information from the location-sensitive detection devices in order to select that second audio signal recorded by one of the microphones, which is best suited for recognition of the audio signals,

wherein in each case of use an electroacoustic transducer, a microphone and a location-sensitive detection device are arranged in a housing.

9. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the central unit is adapted to effect detection and control in real time.

10. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the central unit selects that second audio signal recorded by a microphone, which has the greatest signal/noise ratio.

11. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein

the housings each with an electroacoustic transducer, a microphone and a location-sensitive detection device are arranged spatially distributed.

12. The system as set forth in claim 8, further comprises a signal addition device for adding or subtracting the second audio signals recorded by the other microphones in dependence on the position of the respective microphones and the transit times of the second audio signals recorded by the respective microphones.