FRONT SURROUND SOUND REPRODUCTION SYSTEM USING BEAM FORMING SPEAKER ARRAY AND SURROUND SOUND REPRODUCTION METHOD THEREOF

• US 20080101631A1
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Jang, Seong-cheol, Jung, Chi-ho
• Granted Patent: US 8,345,892 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/307
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/00 Systems employing more than two channels, e.g. quadraphonic H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence

Abstract

A front surround sound reproduction system using a speaker array, a front surround sound reproduction system to perform stereo localization using a beam forming speaker array, and a surround sound reproduction method thereof. A front surround sound reproduction apparatus using a plurality of speakers includes a first signal processing unit to adjust a frequency characteristic of each first and second channel signal and to output the adjusted signals to left and right speakers assigned according to a frequency band, a second signal processing unit to generate a plurality of channel signals by copying the first and second channel signals, to adjust a signal characteristic of each of the plurality of channel signals, and to output the adjusted signals to a speaker array in the center, and a speaker unit having a plurality of speakers to reproduce the signals output from the first signal processing unit and the second signal processing unit.

Claims

1. A front surround sound reproduction apparatus using a plurality of speakers, the apparatus comprising:

a first signal processing unit to adjust a frequency characteristic of each of a plurality of first and second channel signals and to output the adjusted signals to left and right speakers assigned according to a frequency band;

a second signal processing unit to generate a plurality of channel signals by copying the first and second channel signals, to adjust a signal characteristic of each of the plurality of channel signals, and to output the adjusted signals to a speaker array in a center of the front surround sound reproduction apparatus; and

a speaker unit having a plurality of speakers to reproduce the signals output from the first signal processing unit and the second signal processing unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first signal processing unit comprises:

a first crossover network unit to adjust a magnitude and a phase of the first channel signal based on frequency bands and to output the adjusted first channel signal to left treble and bass speakers; and

a second crossover network unit to adjust a magnitude and a phase of the second channel signal based on frequency bands and to output the adjusted second channel signal to right treble and bass speakers.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first crossover network unit comprises:

a high-pass filter to perform high-pass filtering on the first channel signal;

a treble signal adjuster to adjust a magnitude and a phase of a treble signal filtered by the high-pass filter and to output the adjusted treble signal to the left treble speaker;

a low-pass filter to perform low-pass filtering on the first channel signal; and

a bass signal adjuster to adjust a magnitude and a phase of a bass signal filtered by the low-pass filter and to output the adjusted bass signal to the left bass speaker.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second crossover network unit comprises:

a high-pass filter to perform high-pass filtering of the second channel signal;

a treble signal adjuster to adjust a magnitude and a phase of a treble signal filtered by the high-pass filter and to output the adjusted treble signal to the right treble speaker;

a low-pass filter to perform low-pass filtering on the second channel signal; and

a bass signal adjuster to adjust a magnitude and a phase of a bass signal filtered by the low-pass filter and to output the adjusted bass signal to the right bass speaker.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second signal processing unit comprises:

a signal copying unit to generate N channel signals by copying each of the first and second channel signals, where N denotes a number of speakers of the speaker array; and

a signal adjuster to sequentially amplify and delay the N channel signals generated based on each of the first and second channels by the signal copying unit and to output the N amplified and delayed channel signals to corresponding speakers of the speaker array.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the signal adjuster applies geometrical amplification values to the N channel signals.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the speaker unit comprises a plurality of speakers in left, right, and center positions.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein a treble speaker and a bass speaker are disposed in each of the left and right positions.

9. A front surround sound reproduction apparatus using a plurality of speakers, the apparatus comprising:

a down mixer to down mix a multi-channel signal to first and second channel signals;

a first signal processing unit to adjust a frequency characteristic of each of the first and second channel signals down-mixed by the down mixer and to output the adjusted signals to left and right speakers assigned according to a frequency band;

a second signal processing unit to generate a plurality of channel signals by copying the first and second channel signals, to adjust a signal characteristic of each of the plurality of channel signals, and to output the adjusted signals to a speaker array in a center of the front surround sound reproduction apparatus; and

a speaker unit having a plurality of speakers to reproduce the signals output from the first signal processing unit and the second signal processing unit.

10. A front surround sound reproduction apparatus using a plurality of speakers, the apparatus comprising:

a down mixer to down mix a multi-channel signal to first and second channel signals;

a first signal processing unit to adjust a frequency characteristic of each of the first and second channel signals down-mixed by the down mixer and to output the adjusted signals to left and right speakers assigned according to a frequency band;

a second signal processing unit to generate a plurality of channel signals by copying the multi-channel signal, to adjust a signal characteristic of each of the plurality of channel signals, and to output the adjusted signals to a speaker array in a center of the front surround sound reproduction apparatus; and

a speaker unit having a plurality of speakers to reproduce the signals output from the first signal processing unit and the second signal processing unit.

11. A front surround sound reproduction method using a plurality of speakers, the method comprising:

determining whether an input signal is a stereo sound corresponding to first and second channels or a multi-channel signal;

if it is determined that the input signal is a multi-channel signal, converting the multi-channel signal to first and second channel signals by down mixing the multi-channel signal;

adjusting a frequency characteristic of each of the first and second channel signals down-mixed and outputting the adjusted signals to left and right speakers assigned according to a frequency band; and

generating a plurality of channel signals by copying the first and second channel signals, adjusting a signal characteristic of each of the plurality of channel signals, and outputting the adjusted signals to a speaker array in a center of the front surround sound reproduction apparatus.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the outputting of the adjusted signals to the speaker array in the center comprises applying geometrical amplification values to the plurality of channel signals.

13. A front surround sound reproduction apparatus using a left speaker, a right speaker, and a speaker array, the apparatus comprising:

a first signal processing unit to adjust frequency characteristics of a left channel signal and a right channel signal and to output the adjusted left channel signal and the adjusted right channel signal to the left speaker and the right speaker respectively; and

a second signal processing unit to generate copies of the left channel signal and the right channel signal to correspond to each of a plurality of speakers in the speaker array and to sequentially amplify and delay the generated copies based on positions of each of the plurality of speakers in the speaker array.

14. The front surround sound reproduction apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second signal processing unit sequentially amplifies and delays the generated copies by applying geometrical weights to the generated copies based on the positions of each of the plurality of speakers in the speaker array.

15. The front surround sound reproduction apparatus of claim 13, wherein the frequency characteristics comprise a magnitude and a phase of the left channel signal and the right channel signal.

16. A front surround sound reproduction method using a left speaker, a right speaker, and a speaker array, the method comprising:

adjusting frequency characteristics of a left channel signal and a right channel signal;

outputting the adjusted left channel signal and the adjusted right channel signal to the left speaker and the right speaker respectively;

generating copies of the left channel signal and the right channel signal to correspond to each of a plurality of speakers in the speaker array; and

sequentially amplifying and delaying the generated copies based on positions of each of the plurality of speakers in the speaker array.

17. The front surround sound reproduction method of claim 16, wherein the sequential amplification and delay of the generated copies occurs by applying geometrical weights to the generated copies based on the positions of each of the plurality of speakers in the speaker array.

18. The front surround sound reproduction method of claim 16, wherein the frequency characteristics comprise a magnitude and a phase of the left channel signal and the right channel signal.