IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,223,978
Granted Patent B2
US 12,223,978 · App. 17/973,651 · Granted Feb 11, 2025

Audio system

Inventors: Nozomu Saito (Fukushima, JP); Keita Tanno (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: Alps Alpine Co., LTD.
G10L21/0232H04R1/26H04R3/12H04S7/302G10L2021/02166H04R2499/13
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,223,978
App. No.
17/973,651
Granted
Feb 11, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A voice output from an i-th audio source apparatus is adjusted with a frequency transfer function W ii (f) set in an i-th noise reduction filter and is output from an i-th speaker. In the noise reduction filter, a frequency transfer function W ii (f) is set in which the sound is made smaller at frequencies where the gain of the frequency transfer function C im (f) from the SPKi to a user tends to be relatively larger than the gain of the frequency transfer function C ii (f) from the SPKi to the user, and the sound is increased at frequencies where the gain of C im (f) tends to be relatively smaller than the gain of C ii (f), where m is an integer excluding i from 1 to n.

Claims (55)

1. An audio system configured to output sound of different sound sources for each of n users from a 1st user to an n-th user, where is n>2, the audio system comprising:

n sound source devices from the 1st to the n-th;

n speakers from the 1st to the n-th; and

n filters,

wherein the i-th filter, where i is an integer of 1 to n, is configured to transmit a sound output from the i-th sound source device to the i-th speaker with a set frequency transfer characteristic;

wherein the frequency transfer characteristic set for the i-th filter is a frequency transfer function for reducing sound at a frequency at which a gain of a frequency transfer function from the i-th speaker to the m-th user is greater than a gain of a frequency transfer function from the i-th speaker to the i-th user, and increasing sound at a frequency at which of a gain of a frequency transfer function from the i-th speaker to the m-th user is less than a gain of a frequency transfer function from the i-th speaker to the i-th user, where m is an integer excluding i from 1 to n; and

wherein when C ii (f) is a frequency transfer function from the i-th speaker to the i-th user, C* ii (f) is a complex conjugate of C ii (f), C im (f) is a frequency transfer function from the i-th speaker to the m-th user, and C* im (f) is a complex conjugate of C im (f), a frequency transfer characteristic W ij set for the i-th filter is expressed by the equation:

W

ii

(

f

)

=

1

1

+

∑

m

=

1

m

≠

i

n

(

C

im

*

(

f

)

⁢

C

im

(

f

)

/

C

ii

*

(

f

)

⁢

C

ii

(

f

)

)

.

2. The audio system according to claim 1 , wherein a frequency transfer characteristic of an adaptive filter is set as a frequency transfer characteristic in an i-th filter, the frequency transfer characteristic being obtained as a result of performing an adaptive operation in which a difference between a sound obtained by applying a frequency transfer function the same as a frequency transfer function from the i-th speaker to an i-th user to a sound output from the i-th sound source device and an output of a microphone arranged at a listening position of a sound of the i-th user, and an output of the microphone arranged at a listening position of a sound of an m-th user are set as errors, in the adaptive filter in which the sound output from the i-th sound source device is an input and an output from the i-th speaker.

3. The audio system according to claim 1 , wherein a frequency transfer characteristic of an adaptive filter is set as a frequency transfer characteristic in an i-th filter, the frequency transfer characteristic being obtained as a result of performing, in the adaptive filter having a sound output from an i-th sound source device as an input and an output as an input of an i-th speaker, an adaptive operation in which a difference between a sound obtained by applying a frequency transfer function the same as a frequency transfer function from the i-th speaker to an i-th user to a sound output from an i-th user, and an output of a microphone arranged at a listening position of the sound of the i-th user is weighted by a predetermined weight and a value obtained by weighting an output of the microphone arranged at the listening position of the sound of the m-th user with a weight set for each microphone as an error.

4. The audio system according to claim 1 , wherein each of the filters is a graphic equalizer.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 26, 2022
From: SAITO, NOZOMU; TANNO, KEITA
To: ALPS ALPINE CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 061544/0054 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2021-185072 · Nov 12, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230154482A1 · May 18, 2023
References Cited (8)
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US 20130034246A1 · Kano · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20150180436A1 · Tassart · 2015 [cited by examiner]
EP 3598431 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
JP 2009100187 · 2009 [cited by examiner]
JP 202012917 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
Machine translation of JP-2009100187, 13 pages (Year: 2009). [cited by examiner]
Extended European Search Report issued Apr. 21, 2023 in corresponding European Patent Application No. 22205332.4, 10 pages. [cited by applicant]