IP Library Granted Patent US 10,277,977
Granted Patent B1
US 10,277,977 · App. 16/170,701 · Granted Apr 30, 2019

Sound reproduction system, mobile object, and sound reproduction method

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,277,977
App. No.
16/170,701
Granted
Apr 30, 2019
Kind
B1
Abstract

Disclosed herein is a sound reproduction system configured to emit a first sound and a second sound from a loudspeaker at a time. The first sound is intended to reach ears of an object person's. The second sound is intended to reach ears of a non-object person's and compliant with a control characteristic. The control characteristic is defined such that the second sound includes a component which is emitted from the loudspeaker toward a first region occupied by the object person and has a sound pressure lower than a predetermined value, and another component which is emitted from the loudspeaker toward a second region occupied by the non-object person and has a sound pressure equal to the predetermined value.

Claims (50)

1. A sound reproduction system configured to emit a first sound and a second sound from a loudspeaker at a time, the first sound being intended to reach ears of an object person, the second sound being intended to reach ears of a non-object person and compliant with a control characteristic,

the control characteristic being defined such that the second sound includes a component which is emitted from the loudspeaker toward a first region occupied by the object person and has a sound pressure lower than a predetermined value, and another component which is emitted from the loudspeaker toward a second region occupied by the non-object person and has a sound pressure equal to the predetermined value.

2. The sound reproduction system of claim 1 , wherein

the first sound compliant with a first control characteristic and the second sound compliant with a second control characteristic different from the first control characteristic are emitted from the loudspeaker at a time,

the first control characteristic being defined such that the first sound includes two components, one of which is emitted from the loudspeaker toward the first region and the other of which is emitted from the loudspeaker toward the second region and has a lower sound pressure than said one,

the second control characteristic being defined by the control characteristic.

3. The sound reproduction system of claim 1 , wherein

the first region is included in a first space provided to accommodate the object person,

the second region is included in a second space provided to accommodate the non-object person, and

the first space and the second space are included in an object space.

4. The sound reproduction system of claim 3 , wherein

the object space includes a plurality of the first spaces.

5. The sound reproduction system of claim 2 , wherein

the second control characteristic is determined by Null-space based sound field control.

6. The sound reproduction system of claim 2 , wherein

the first control characteristic is determined by a weighted least squares method.

7. The sound reproduction system of claim 1 , wherein

a characteristic changing unit is configured to change a frequency characteristic of a given sound,

the sound reproduction system allows the characteristic changing unit to change a frequency characteristic of the second sound adaptively to an ambient sound.

8. The sound reproduction system of claim 7 , wherein

the sound reproduction system allows the characteristic changing unit to change the frequency characteristic of the second sound in accordance with external information.

9. The sound reproduction system of claim 7 , further comprising

an analysis unit configured to analyze, on a frequency basis, an output level of the ambient sound picked up by a microphone,

wherein the sound reproduction system allows the characteristic changing unit to change, based on a result of analysis by the analysis unit, the output level of the second sound on a frequency basis.

10. A mobile object comprising:

the sound reproduction system of claim 1 ; and

a mobile object body equipped with the loudspeaker.

11. A sound reproduction method for emitting a first sound and a second sound from a loudspeaker at a time, the first sound being intended to reach ears of an object person, the second sound being intended to reach ears of a non-object person and compliant with a control characteristic,

the control characteristic being defined such that the second sound includes a component which is emitted from the loudspeaker toward a first region occupied by the object person and has a sound pressure lower than a predetermined value, and another component which is emitted from the loudspeaker toward a second region occupied by the non-object person and has a sound pressure equal to the predetermined value.

12. The sound reproduction system of claim 7 , wherein

the characteristic changing unit changes a frequency of the second sound as the frequency characteristic of the second sound.

13. The sound reproduction system of claim 2 , wherein

the first region is included in a first space provided to accommodate the object person,

the second region is included in a second space provided to accommodate the non-object person, and

the first space and the second space are included in an object space.

14. The sound reproduction system of claim 3 , wherein

the second control characteristic is determined by Null-space based sound field control.

15. The sound reproduction system of claim 4 , wherein

the second control characteristic is determined by Null-space based sound field control.

16. The sound reproduction system of claim 3 , wherein

the first control characteristic is determined by a weighted least squares method.

17. The sound reproduction system of claim 4 , wherein

the first control characteristic is determined by a weighted least squares method.

18. The sound reproduction system of claim 5 , wherein

the first control characteristic is determined by a weighted least squares method.

19. The sound reproduction system of claim 2 , wherein

a characteristic changing unit is configured to change a frequency characteristic of a given sound,

the sound reproduction system allows the characteristic changing unit to change a frequency characteristic of the second sound adaptively to an ambient sound.

20. The sound reproduction system of claim 8 , wherein

the characteristic changing unit changes a frequency of the second sound as the frequency characteristic of the second sound.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 28, 2024
From: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
To: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 066703/0252 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 5, 2019
From: SEKI, TAKAYUKI
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 048510/0823 →