IP Library Granted Patent US 12677108
Granted Patent B2
US 12677108 · App. 18/374,221 · Granted Jul 7, 2026

Acoustic reproduction method, recording medium, and acoustic reproduction device

Inventors: Seigo Enomoto (Kyoto, JP); Ko Mizuno (Osaka, JP); Tomokazu Ishikawa (Osaka, JP)
Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
H04S7/304H04S2400/15H04S2420/01
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12677108
App. No.
18/374,221
Granted
Jul 7, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An acoustic reproduction method includes: obtaining information indicating sounds that reach a listener in a sound reproduction space and direction information indicating a direction in which the head of the listener is oriented; judging whether a first direction in which a first sound reaches the listener and a second direction in which a second sound reaches the listener are in plane symmetry with respect to a predetermined plane that passes through both ears of the listener and is perpendicular to the direction in which the head of the listener is oriented, the first and the second sounds being included in the sounds indicated in the information obtained; performing processing on sound information indicating the second sound when the first and the second directions are judged to be in plane symmetry, the processing being change processing of changing the second direction; and outputting the sound information subjected to the change processing.

Claims (28)

1 . An acoustic reproduction method comprising:

obtaining information indicating a plurality of sounds and direction information indicating a direction in which a head of a listener is oriented, the plurality of sounds reaching the listener in a sound reproduction space;

judging whether a first direction in which a first sound reaches the listener and a second direction in which a second sound reaches the listener are in plane symmetry with respect to a predetermined plane, the first sound and the second sound being included in the plurality of sounds indicated in the information obtained, the predetermined plane passing through both ears of the listener and being perpendicular to the direction in which the head of the listener is oriented;

performing processing on sound information indicating the second sound when the first direction and the second direction are judged to be in plane symmetry, the processing being change processing of changing the second direction; and

outputting the sound information subjected to the change processing.

2 . The acoustic reproduction method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the change processing is changing the second direction in order for the first direction and the second direction not to be in plane symmetry.

3 . The acoustic reproduction method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the second sound is an object sound different from the first sound,

the acoustic reproduction method comprises:

extracting information, the extracting of the information including: obtaining audio content information; and extracting first region information, second region information, and the sound information that are included in the audio content information obtained, the first region information indicating a first region in which a sound image of the first sound is localized, the second region information indicating a second region in which a sound image of the second sound is localized,

in the obtaining of the information and the direction information, the first region information extracted is obtained,

in the judging, the second region information extracted is obtained, and

in the performing of the processing, the sound information extracted is obtained.

4 . The acoustic reproduction method according to claim 3 ,

wherein the obtaining of the information and the direction information includes obtaining spatial information indicating a shape of the sound reproduction space,

the acoustic reproduction method comprises:

determining, based on the first region information obtained and the spatial information obtained, the second region in which the sound image of the second sound is localized, the second sound being a reflected sound of the first sound,

in the judging, the second region information indicating the second region determined is obtained, and

in the performing of the processing, sound information indicating the first sound is obtained as the sound information indicating the second sound.

5 . The acoustic reproduction method according to claim 2 ,

wherein in the performing of the processing, the change processing of shifting the second direction to increase at least one of an interaural level difference of the second sound or an interaural time difference of the second sound is performed.

6 . A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to execute the acoustic reproduction method according to claim 1 .

7 . An acoustic reproduction device comprising:

an obtainer that obtains information indicating a plurality of sounds and direction information indicating a direction in which a head of a listener is oriented, the plurality of sounds reaching the listener in a sound reproduction space;

a judging unit that judges whether a first direction in which a first sound reaches the listener and a second direction in which a second sound reaches the listener are in plane symmetry with respect to a predetermined plane, the first sound and the second sound being included in the plurality of sounds indicated in the information obtained, the predetermined plane passing through both ears of the listener and being perpendicular to the direction in which the head of the listener is oriented;

a processor that performs processing on sound information indicating the second sound when the first direction and the second direction are judged to be in plane symmetry, the processing being change processing of changing the second direction; and

an outputter that outputs the sound information subjected to the change processing.