IP Library Granted Patent US 12,087,321
Granted Patent B2
US 12,087,321 · App. 17/795,851 · Granted Sep 10, 2024

Evaluation method, evaluation apparatus, and program

Inventors: Sachiko Kurihara (Tokyo, JP); Noboru Harada (Tokyo, JP); Masahiro Fukui (Tokyo, JP); Akira Nakagawa (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
G10L25/60H04R1/025H04R1/08H04R29/001G10L2021/02082G10L21/0216H04R2499/13
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,087,321
App. No.
17/795,851
Granted
Sep 10, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

The number of conversational tests needed for the evaluation of acoustic quality of the ICC system is reduced. An evaluation value conversion device 3 evaluates the quality of communication between a near-end acoustic region 100 and a far-end acoustic region 200 inside a vehicle for which a plurality of acoustic regions are predetermined. A voice signal picked up by a microphone M 2 disposed in the far-end acoustic region 200 is emitted from a speaker S 1 disposed in the near-end acoustic region 100 . An objective evaluation value acquisition unit 33 acquires a first evaluation value by treating a voice signal obtained by combining a voice signal resulting from a first voice signal being emitted from a sound source in a seat belonging to the far-end acoustic region 200 , picked up by the microphone M 2 , and emitted from the speaker S 1 with a voice signal arriving at a seat belonging to the near-end acoustic region 100 as a result of the first voice signal being transmitted through the space inside the vehicle as an evaluation target sound, and treating the first voice signal as a reference sound. An evaluation value reuse unit 37 acquires the first evaluation value as an evaluation value of communication between a seat belonging to the near-end acoustic region 100 and a seat belonging to the far-end acoustic region 200.

Claims (17)

1. An evaluation method of evaluating a quality of communication between seats in a vehicle including at least three seats belonging to any of a plurality of acoustic regions, in which

at least one speaker and at least one microphone are disposed for each acoustic region, and

a voice signal picked up by a first microphone disposed in a first acoustic region is emitted from a second speaker disposed in a second acoustic region,

the evaluation method comprising:

acquiring, by a first evaluation value acquisition unit, a first evaluation value that is an evaluation value of communication between a first seat and a second seat by treating a voice signal obtained by combining a voice signal resulting from a first voice signal being emitted from a sound source in the first seat belonging to the first acoustic region, picked up by the first microphone, and emitted from the second speaker with a voice signal arriving at the second seat belonging to the second acoustic region as a result of the first voice signal being transmitted through a space inside the vehicle as a sound to be evaluated, and treating the first voice signal as a reference sound; and

acquiring, by a second evaluation value acquisition unit, the first evaluation value as an evaluation value of communication between any seat belonging to the first acoustic region and any seat belonging to the second acoustic region, except between the first seat and the second seat.

2. The evaluation method according to claim 1 , wherein

the acoustic regions are set for each row of seats in the vehicle.

3. The evaluation method according to claim 2 , wherein

in the acoustic regions, either or both of the speakers and the microphones are arranged with left-right symmetry with respect to a forward direction of the vehicle.

4. An evaluation apparatus that evaluates a quality of communication between seats in a vehicle including at least three seats belonging to any of a plurality of acoustic regions, in which

at least one speaker and at least one microphone are disposed for each acoustic region, and

a voice signal picked up by a first microphone disposed in a first acoustic region is emitted from a second speaker disposed in a second acoustic region,

the evaluation device comprising:

a first evaluation value acquisition unit that acquires a first evaluation value that is an evaluation value of communication between a first seat and a second seat by treating a voice signal obtained by combining a voice signal resulting from a first voice signal being emitted from a sound source in the first seat belonging to the first acoustic region, picked up by the first microphone, and emitted from the second speaker with a voice signal arriving at the second seat belonging to the second acoustic region as a result of the first voice signal being transmitted through a space inside the vehicle as a sound to be evaluated, and treating the first voice signal as a reference sound; and

a second evaluation value acquisition unit that acquires the first evaluation value as an evaluation value of communication between any seat belonging to the first acoustic region and any seat belonging to the second acoustic region, except between the first seat and the second seat.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium which stores a program causing a computer to function as an evaluation apparatus according to claim 4 .

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 27, 2022
From: KURIHARA, SACHIKO; HARADA, NOBORU; FUKUI, MASAHIRO; NAKAGAWA, AKIRA
To: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 060647/0979 →
Continuity (1)
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