Headphone apparatus

• US 6,108,430 A
• Filed: 09/30/1999
• Issued: 08/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kurisu, Hirofumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Isen, Forester W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mei, Xu
• Application Number:
  US09/381,961
• Time in Patent Office: 327 Days
• Field of Search: 381/26, 381/74, 381/303, 381/309, 381/310, 381/311, 381/17, 381/18, 381/FOR 126, 381/63
• US Class Current: 381/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 1/007 in which the audio signals are in digital form data reduction aspects thereof based on psychoacoustics G10L19/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/01 Multi-channel, i.e. more than two input channels, sound reproduction with two speakers wherein the multi-channel information is substantially preserved
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/01 Enhancing the perception of the sound image or of the spatial distribution using head related transfer functions [HRTF's] or equivalents thereof, e.g. interaural time difference [ITD] or interaural level difference [ILD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/304 For headphones

Abstract

A signal processing circuit for performing predetermined signal processes to input audio signals of four channels, headphones to which an output signal of the signal processing circuit is supplied, and detecting method for detecting a rotation of the head of the listener are provided. Digital filters for convoluting impulse responses obtained by converting head portion transfer functions from sound sources to the right and left ears into time regions to the input audio signals of four channels, time-difference adding circuits, and level-difference adding circuits are provided in the signal processing circuit. In the adding circuits, a time difference and a level difference of the signals which are transmitted through the adding circuits are controlled in accordance with detection outputs of the detecting method.

Claims

1. A headphone apparatus comprising:

a signal processing circuit for performing signal processes to input audio signals of N channels where N is an integer of 2 or more;

headphones to which an output signal of said signal processing circuit is supplied;

detecting means for said headphones for detecting a rotation of a head of a user of said headphones; and

a circuit for outputting control data based on a detection output of said detecting means,

wherein said signal processing circuit includes;

2N digital filters for convoluting impulse responses obtained by converting head transfer functions from N sound sources provided at positions for orienting said input audio signals to right and left ears of a listener into time regions to said input audio signals of said N channels,

first and second forming means to which said outputs of 2M digital filters corresponding to M (M≦

N) channels as front channels among said N channels are inputted for forming outputs based on each of a component of a left channel and a component of a right channel,

a first time difference adding circuit to which an output of said first forming means is inputted,

a first level difference adding circuit to which an output of said first time difference adding circuit is inputted,

a second time difference adding circuit to which an output of said second forming means is inputted,

a second level difference adding circuit to which an output of said second time difference adding circuit is inputted,

third and fourth forming means to which outputs of 2 (N-M) digital filters corresponding to remaining (N-M) channels among the digital filters of said N channels are inputted for forming outputs based on said output of said digital filter of said left channel and said output of said digital filter of said right channel,

fifth forming means for forming an output signal based on said output signal of said third forming means and on said output signal of said first level difference adding circuit, and

sixth forming means for forming an output signal based on the output signal of said fourth forming means and said output signal of said second level difference adding circuit, wherein

a first control is performed with said control data giving a time difference to said first and said second time difference adding circuits,

a second control is performed with said control data which gives a level difference to said first and said second level difference adding circuits, and

said output signals of said fifth and sixth forming means are supplied as said output signal of said signal processing circuit to said headphones.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said input audio signals are obtained by converting multichannel signals into signals of two channels, and

a circuit for converting said input audio signals into said multichannel audio signals is provided at a front stage of said signal processing circuit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said input audio signals are obtained by converting said multichannel audio signals into said signals of two channels and audio compressing and digitizing said two-channel signals, and

said circuit for converting said input audio signals into said multichannel audio signals is provided at said front stage of said signal processing circuit.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said input audio signals are obtained by converting audio signals of six channels into said signals of two channels, and

said circuit for converting said input audio signals into said six-channel audio signals is provided at said front stage of said signal processing circuit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said input audio signals are obtained by converting said audio signals of six channels into said signals of two channels and audio compressing and digitizing said two-channel signals, and

said circuit for converting said input audio signals into said six-channel audio signals is provided at said front stage of said signal processing circuit.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said input audio signals are said signals obtained by converting said audio signals of four channels into said signals of two channels, and

said circuit for converting said input audio signals into said four-channel audio signals is provided at said front stage of said signal processing circuit.

7. The apparatus according to claim, 1 wherein

said input audio signals are obtained by converting said audio signals of four channels into said signals of two channels and audio compressing and digitizing said two-channel signals, and

said circuit for converting said input audio signals into said four-channel audio signals is provided at said front stage of said signal processing circuit.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said input audio signals are obtained by converting multichannel audio signals into a signal of one channel, and

said circuit for converting said input audio signals into said multichannel audio signals is provided at said front stage of said signal processing circuit.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said input audio signals are said signal obtained by converting said signals of six channels into said signal of one channel, and

said circuit for converting said input audio signals into said six-channel audio signals is provided at said front stage of said signal processing circuit.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said input audio signals are said signal obtained by converting said audio signals of four channels into said signal of one channel, and

said circuit for converting said input audio signals into said four-channel audio signals is provided at said front stage of said signal processing circuit.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said detecting means for detecting a rotational angle of said head of said user of said headphones comprises a rotational angle sensor attached at a position of said head of said user of said headphones, and said rotational angle is detected by said rotational angle sensor.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said detecting means for detecting a rotational angle of said head of said user of said headphones comprises a light emitting unit arranged around said user of said headphones and two or more light intensity sensors attached at positions of said head of said user, and

a light emitted from said light emitting unit is received by said light intensity sensors and said rotational angle is detected by a difference between output signals of said light intensity sensors.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said detecting means for detecting said rotational angle of said head of said user of said headphones comprises an ultrasonic oscillator arranged at a remote position, and ultrasonic sensors attached at two positions of said head of said user, and

a burst-like ultrasonic output generated from said ultrasonic oscillator is received by said ultrasonic sensor and converted into reception signals and said rotational angle is detected by a time difference of said reception signals.