IP Library Patent Application 18277930
Patent Application
App. No. 18/277,930

SOUND SYSTEM

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US None
App. No.
18/277,930
Abstract

Provided is an acoustic system for a user who uses a seat of an aircraft, an automobile, or the like, which reproduces a sound that cannot be heard by surrounding users without using earphones or headphones. An acoustic system including: a directivity control device including at least one directivity control unit that generates a first processed acoustic signal from a first acoustic signal and generates a second processed acoustic signal from a second acoustic signal having an opposite phase to the first acoustic signal by executing predetermined signal processing; and a speaker system including at least one speaker unit pair including a positive speaker unit that emits a sound based on the first processed acoustic signal and a negative speaker unit that emits a sound based on the second processed acoustic signal, in which the signal processing executed by the directivity control unit is processing of causing a sound emitted from the positive speaker unit of the speaker unit pair and a sound emitted from the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit pair to be audible in an area to be made audible near the speaker unit pair and to be inaudible in an area to be made inaudible.

Claims (19)

1 . An acoustic system comprising:

a directivity control device including at least one directivity control unit that generates a first processed acoustic signal from an acoustic signal (hereinafter, referred to as a first acoustic signal) of a predetermined sound source and generates a second processed acoustic signal from an acoustic signal (hereinafter, referred to as a second acoustic signal) having an opposite phase to the first acoustic signal by executing predetermined signal processing; and

a speaker system including at least one speaker unit pair including a speaker unit (hereinafter, referred to as a positive speaker unit) that emits a sound based on the first processed acoustic signal and a speaker unit (hereinafter, referred to as a negative speaker unit) that emits a sound based on the second processed acoustic signal,

wherein the signal processing executed by the directivity control unit is processing of causing a sound emitted from the positive speaker unit of the speaker unit pair and a sound emitted from the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit pair to be audible in an area to be made audible near the speaker unit pair and to be inaudible in an area to be made inaudible.

2 . The acoustic system according to claim 1 , wherein

the area to be made audible includes a point that is equidistant from the positive speaker unit of the speaker unit pair and the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit pair such that a sound emitted from the positive speaker unit of the speaker unit pair and a sound emitted from the negative speaker unit of the speaker unit pair cancel each other.

3 . An acoustic system comprising:

a reproduction device including an n-th reproduction unit (n=1, . . . , N) that outputs a (2n−1)-th acoustic signal that is an acoustic signal of a predetermined sound source and a 2n-th acoustic signal that is an acoustic signal having an opposite phase to the (2n−1)-th acoustic signal;

a directivity control device including an n-th directivity control unit (n=1, . . . , N) that generates a (2n−1)-th processed acoustic signal from the (2n−1)-th acoustic signal and generates a 2n-th processed acoustic signal from the 2n-th acoustic signal by executing predetermined signal processing; and

a speaker system including an n-th speaker unit pair (n=1, . . . , N) including a speaker unit (hereinafter, referred to as a positive speaker unit) that emits a sound based on the (2n−1)-th processed acoustic signal and a speaker unit (hereinafter, referred to as a negative speaker unit) that emits a sound based on the 2n-th processed acoustic signal, N being an integer of 1 or more, wherein

the signal processing executed by the n-th directivity control unit (n=1, . . . , N) is processing of causing a sound emitted from the positive speaker unit of the n-th speaker unit pair and a sound emitted from the negative speaker unit of the n-th speaker unit pair to be audible in an area to be made audible near the n-th speaker unit pair and to be inaudible in an area to be made inaudible.

4 . The acoustic system according to claim 3 , wherein

the area to be made audible includes a point that is equidistant from the positive speaker unit of the n-th speaker unit pair and the negative speaker unit of the n-th speaker unit pair such that a sound emitted from the positive speaker unit of the n-th speaker unit pair and a sound emitted from the negative speaker unit of the n-th speaker unit pair cancel each other.

5 . The acoustic system according to claim 3 , wherein

N=2, and

a first speaker unit pair and a second speaker unit pair are installed in a headrest of a seat of an automobile.

6 . The acoustic system according to claim 3 , wherein

N=2, and

a first speaker unit pair and a second speaker unit pair are respectively installed on two arms attached to a seat of an automobile so as to sandwich a head of a user who uses the seat.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 1, 2026
From: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
To: NTT, INC.
Reel/Frame 074164/0623 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 18, 2023
From: FUKUI, MASAHIRO; KOBAYASHI, KAZUNORI; KAMADO, NORIYOSHI; SATO, RYOTARO
To: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 064638/0228 →