Sound reproducing device

• US 8,666,106 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Konno, Fumiyasu, Takeda, Katsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Mei, Xu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Paul
• Application Number:
  US13/616,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20130077803A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• Field of Search: 381/387, 381/107, 381/300, 381/306, 381/332, 381/333, 381/386, 381/388, 381/17, 348/231.4, 348/207.99, 348/738, 348/423.1
• US Class Current: 381/387
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/323 for loudspeakers H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/025 Transducer mountings or cabinet supports enabling variable orientation of transducer of cabinet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2217/03 Parametric transducers where sound is generated or captured by the acoustic demodulation of amplitude modulated ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/15 Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops
• 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: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

A sound reproducing device includes parametric speakers disposed to a display, a loudspeaker, drivers, a human-body sensor, and a controller. The loudspeaker has a wider directivity than the parametric speakers. The drivers change directions of the parametric speakers, respectively. The parametric speakers and the drivers constitute at least two parametric speaker units each composed of respective one of the parametric speakers and respective one of the drivers. The controller reproduces sound information based the number of persons in front of the display detected from an output from the human-body senor. The sound reproducing device reduces the possibility for a number of persons to hear the sound noisily, and allows drawing more attention to the content, e.g. an advertisement.

Claims

1. A sound reproducing device comprising:

parametric speakers disposed to a display;

a loudspeaker disposed to the display, the loudspeaker having a wider directivity than the parametric speakers;

drivers disposed to the display for changing directions of the parametric speakers, respectively;

a human-body sensor disposed to the display; and

a controller connected electrically to the parametric speakers, the loudspeaker, and the human-body sensor,

wherein the parametric speakers and the drivers constitute at least two parametric speaker units disposed to the display, each of said at least two parametric speaker units being composed of respective one of the parametric speakers and respective one of the drivers, and

wherein the controller switches between a control of changing directions of the parametric speakers for reproducing sound information and a control of allowing the loudspeaker for reproducing the sound information based on a number of persons in front of the display which is detected from an output of the human-body sensor, such that the controller is operable to;

control the drivers to follow the persons and reproduce sound information when the number of the persons is equal to or smaller than a number of the parametric speakers; and

switch the reproducing of the sound information from the parametric speakers to the loudspeaker as to cause the loudspeaker to reproduce the sound information when the number of persons is greater than the number of the parametric speakers.

2. The sound reproducing device according to claim 1, wherein the loudspeaker comprises a plurality of loudspeakers disposed to the display.

3. The sound reproducing device according to claim 1, wherein the drivers can change directions of the parametric speakers horizontally and vertically.

4. The sound reproducing device according to claim 1, wherein, when the controller detects no person based on an output from the human-body sensor, the controller is operable to stop reproducing the sound information and stop an operation of the drivers.

5. The sound reproducing device according to claim 4, wherein, when the controller detects, based on an output from the human-body sensor, that the persons approach a front of the display while stopping reproducing the sound information, the controller is operable to increase a sound volume of the parametric speakers gradually to a predetermined sound volume while reproducing the sound information.

6. The sound reproducing device according to claim 1, wherein. when the controller detects, based on an output from the human-body sensor, that the persons approach the display by a predetermined distance, the controller is operable to cause the loudspeaker to reproduce the sound information.

7. The sound reproducing device according to claim 1, wherein the loudspeaker reproduce sound information different from sound information reproduced by the parametric speakers.

8. The sound reproducing device according to claim 1, further comprising an electricity storage section connected electrically to the parametric speakers, the loudspeaker, the drivers, the human-body sensor, and the controller,

wherein the electricity storage section is charged by a utility power supply during no power outage of the utility power supply, and discharges electric power during a power outage of the utility power supply, and

wherein the controller reproduces sound information for power outage.

9. The sound reproducing device according to claim 8,

wherein the display includes a light source and displays video information supplied by the controller, and is connected electrically to the electricity storage section, and

wherein the controller causes the display to display video information for power outage during the power outage.

10. The sound reproducing device according to claim 9, wherein, when electric power stored in the electricity storage section is equal to or smaller than a predetermined level, the controller is operable to:

stop reproducing the sound information for power outage and only display the video information for power outage on the display in a case that a light intensity obtained from the human-body sensor is equal to or smaller than a predetermined light intensity; and

stop displaying the video information for power outage on the display and only reproduce the sound information for power outage in a case that the light intensity obtained from the human-body sensor is greater than the predetermined light intensity.

11. A sound reproducing device comprising:

parametric speakers disposed to a display;

a loudspeaker disposed to the display, the loudspeaker having a wider directivity than the parametric speakers;

drivers disposed to the display for changing directions of the parametric speakers;

a human-body sensor disposed to the display; and

a controller connected electrically to the parametric speaker, the loudspeaker, and the human-body sensor,

wherein the parametric speakers and the drivers constitute at least two parametric speaker units disposed to the display, each of said at least two parametric speaker units being composed of respective one of the parametric speakers and the drivers,

wherein the controller performs a control of changing directions of the parametric speakers for reproducing sound information and a control of allowing the loudspeaker for reproducing the sound information based on a number of persons in front of the display which is detected from an output of the human-body sensor, such that the controller is operable to;

control the drivers to follow the persons and reproduce sound information when the number of persons is equal to or smaller than a number of the parametric speakers; and

cause the parametric speakers and the loudspeaker to reproduce the sound information simultaneously when the number of persons is greater than the number of the parametric speakers.

12. The sound reproducing device according to claim 11, wherein the loudspeaker comprises a plurality of loudspeakers disposed to the display.

13. The sound reproducing device according to claim 11, wherein the drivers can change directions of the parametric speakers horizontally and vertically.

14. The sound reproducing device according to claim 11, wherein, when the controller detects no person based on an output from the human-body sensor, the controller is operable to stop reproducing the sound information and stop an operation of the drivers.

15. The sound reproducing device according to claim 14, wherein, when the controller detects, based on an output from the human-body sensor, that the persons approach a front of the display while stopping reproducing the sound information, the controller is operable to increase a sound volume of the parametric speakers gradually to a predetermined sound volume while reproducing the sound information.

16. The sound reproducing device according to claim 11, wherein. when the controller detects, based on an output from the human-body sensor, that the persons approach the display by a predetermined distance, the controller is operable to cause the loudspeaker to reproduce the sound information.

17. The sound reproducing device according to claim 11, wherein, when the number of persons obtained from an output from the human-body sensor is greater than the number of the parametric speakers, the controller is operable to repeat controlling the drivers to follow one of the persons and reproduces the sound information and then to follow another person of the persons and reproduces the sound information.

18. The sound reproducing device according to claim 17, wherein the controller detects firstly a person closest to the display among the persons.

19. The sound reproducing device according to claim 11, wherein the controller increases a sound volume of the loudspeaker while decreasing a sound volume of the parametric speakers.

20. The sound reproducing device according to claim 11, wherein the loudspeaker reproduce sound information different from sound information reproduced by the parametric speakers.

21. The sound reproducing device according to claim 11, further comprising an electricity storage section connected electrically to the parametric speakers, the loudspeaker, the drivers, the human-body sensor, and the controller,

wherein the electricity storage section is charged by a utility power supply during no power outage of the utility power supply, and discharges electric power during a power outage of the utility power supply, and

wherein the controller reproduces sound information for power outage.

22. The sound reproducing device according to claim 21,

wherein the display includes a light source and displays video information supplied by the controller, and is connected electrically to the electricity storage section, and

wherein the controller causes the display to display video information for power outage during the power outage.

23. The sound reproducing device according to claim 22, wherein, when electric power stored in the electricity storage section is equal to or smaller than a predetermined level, the controller is operable to:

stop reproducing the sound information for power outage and only display the video information for power outage on the display in a case that a light intensity obtained from the human-body sensor is equal to or smaller than a predetermined light intensity; and

stop displaying the video information for power outage on the display and only reproduce the sound information for power outage in a case that the light intensity obtained from the human-body sensor is greater than the predetermined light intensity.