Sound reproduction device

• US 9,743,186 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2014
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takeda, Katsu, Konno, Fumiyasu, Fukushima, Susumu, Shoji, Rihito
• Primary Examiner(s): CHIN, VIVIAN C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Con P
• Application Number:
  US14/257,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20140241552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,219 Days
• Field of Search: 381303, 381307, 381300, 381 77, 381 79, 381387
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/26 Spatial arrangements of separate transducers responsive to two or more frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/323 for loudspeakers H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence
• 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 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• 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

Abstract

Provided is a sound reproduction device including a loudspeaker and a superdirective speaker. The loudspeaker is configured so that a sound pressure of audible sound produced therefrom decreases as the sound travels farther away from the loudspeaker. The superdirective speaker is configured so that a sound pressure of audible sound produced therefrom has a peak at a predetermined distance from the superdirective speaker, and is configured to use an ultrasonic wave as a carrier wave. The loudspeaker and the superdirective speaker are positioned such that a loudspeaker sound field of the audible sound produced from the loudspeaker and a superdirective speaker sound field of the audible sound produced from the superdirective speaker overlap with each other at a position of a listener.

Claims

1. A sound reproduction device comprising:

a loudspeaker; and

a superdirective speaker, wherein;

the loudspeaker is configured so that a sound pressure of audible sound produced therefrom decreases as the sound travels farther away from the loudspeaker,

the superdirective speaker is configured so that a sound pressure of audible sound produced therefrom has a peak at a predetermined distance from the superdirective speaker, and is configured to use an ultrasonic wave as a carrier wave, and

the loudspeaker and the superdirective speaker are positioned such that a first wave emitted from the loudspeaker and a second wave emitted from the superdirective speaker directly reach a position of a listener, wherein the peak is produced at the position of the listener to allow the listener to hear the sound from the superdirective speaker more clearly than the sound from the loudspeaker.

2. The sound reproduction device according to claim 1,

wherein a first sound field of the loudspeaker and a second sound field of the superdirective speaker include a portion at which the sound pressure of the audible sound produced from the superdirective speaker is greater than the sound pressure of the audible sound produced from the loudspeaker at the position of the listener.

3. The sound reproduction device according to claim 1,

wherein, when the sound reproduction device receives a surround sound source recording at least three types of sound signals, at least one of the sound signals, other than a left-channel signal and a right-channel signal, is reproduced through the superdirective speaker.

4. The sound reproduction device according to claim 1,

wherein, when the sound reproduction device produces a pseudo surround sound source having three or more types of sound signals generated from a sound source having less than three types of sound signals, at least one of the sound signals in the pseudo surround sound source, other than a left-channel signal and a right-channel signal, is reproduced through the superdirective speaker.

5. The sound reproduction device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of sound source units configured to respectively output sound signals that are different from each other; and

a selector electrically connected to the sound source units and configured to receive the sound signals, the selector comprising a first output terminal and a second output terminal,

wherein the selector is configured to select electrical connections between the plurality of sound source units, and the loudspeaker and the superdirective speaker.

6. The sound reproduction device according to claim 5,

wherein the selector is configured to independently select the electrical connections between the plurality of sound source units, and the loudspeaker and the superdirective speaker.

7. The sound reproduction device according to claim 5, wherein:

the plurality of sound source units includes a first sound source unit for outputting a first sound signal, and a second sound source unit for outputting a second sound signal, and

the selector is configured to select one of the following connections;

connection (1) in which the first sound signal is outputted to the loudspeaker and the second sound signal is outputted to the superdirective speaker; and

connection (2) in which the second sound signal is outputted to the loudspeaker and the first sound signal is outputted to the superdirective speaker.

8. The sound reproduction device according to claim 5, wherein:

the plurality of sound source units includes a first sound source unit for outputting a first sound signal, and a second sound source unit for outputting a second sound signal, and

the selector is configured to select one of the following connections;

connection (1) in which the first sound signal is outputted to the loudspeaker and the second sound signal is outputted to the superdirective speaker;

connection (2) in which the second sound signal is outputted to the loudspeaker and the first sound signal is outputted to the superdirective speaker;

connection (3) in which a mixed signal of the first sound signal and the second sound signal is outputted to the loudspeaker; and

connection (4) in which the mixed signal of the first sound signal and the second sound signal is outputted to the superdirective speaker.

9. The sound reproduction device according to claim 5,

wherein the loudspeaker and the superdirective speaker are positioned side by side.

10. The sound reproduction device according to claim 5,

wherein two or more speaker pairs including the loudspeaker and the superdirective speaker are positioned side by side with the loudspeaker is positioned along a single plane facing the listener.

11. The sound reproduction device according to claim 1,

wherein the loudspeaker and the superdirective speaker are positioned side by side.

12. The sound reproduction device according to claim 1,

wherein two or more speaker pairs including the loudspeaker and the superdirective speaker are positioned side by side with the loudspeaker is positioned along a single plane facing the listener.