Acoustic device and mobile object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10587940-B2
Application number	US-201916419793-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2019
Priority date	Nov 25, 2016
Publication date	Mar 10, 2020
Grant date	Mar 10, 2020

Abstract

An acoustic device that provides a stereophonic effect to a driver of a mobile object includes: a plurality of speakers (an L channel speaker and an R channel speaker) mounted on a steering wheel that controls a traveling direction of the mobile object; a steering angle detection unit configured to detect a steering angle of the steering wheel; and a signal output unit configured to output a plurality of output signals obtained by performing, on a sound signal, a process relating to the stereophonic effect and depending on the steering angle, respectively to the plurality of speakers.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An acoustic device that provides a stereophonic effect to a driver of a mobile object, the acoustic device comprising:
a plurality of speakers mounted on a steering wheel that controls a traveling direction of the mobile object;
a steering angle detector configured to detect a steering angle of the steering wheel; and
a signal processor configured to:
in a case where the steering angle is equal to or smaller than a predetermined angle, output a plurality of stereophonic signals that provide the stereophonic effect obtained by performing, on a sound signal, a process relating to the stereophonic effect, respectively to the plurality of speakers, and
in the case where the steering angle is greater than a predetermined angle, output a plurality of non-stereophonic signals that provide no stereophonic effect, respectively to the plurality of speakers.

2. The acoustic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least two speakers of the plurality of speakers are arranged on a same arc centered on a rotation axis of the steering wheel, and
the at least two speakers are at a same vertical position in the case where the steering angle is 0.

3. The acoustic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least two speakers of the plurality of speakers are arranged symmetrically with respect to a point on a rotation axis of the steering wheel.

4. The acoustic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of speakers are arranged symmetrically with respect to a vertical plane including a rotation axis of the steering wheel in the case where the steering angle is 0.

5. A mobile object comprising:
the acoustic device according to claim 1 ; and
the steering wheel.

6. An acoustic device that provides a stereophonic effect to a driver of a mobile object, the acoustic device comprising:
a plurality of speakers mounted on a steering wheel that controls a traveling direction of the mobile object;
a steering angle detector configured to detect a steering angle of the steering wheel; and
a signal processor configured to:
in the case where a variation of the steering angle per unit time is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, output a plurality of stereophonic signals that provide the stereophonic effect obtained by performing, on a sound signal, a process relating to the stereophonic effect, respectively to the plurality of speakers, and
in the case where a variation of the steering angle per unit time is greater than a predetermined value, output a plurality of non-stereophonic signals that provides no stereophonic effect, respectively to the plurality of speakers.

Assignees

• Socionext Inc

Inventors

• Miyasaka Shuji
• Abe Kazutaka
• Kobayashi Katsumi

Classifications

• H04S7/30

  Control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field · CPC title

• H04R2499/13

  Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles · CPC title

• H04R5/023

  in a chair, pillow · CPC title

• H04R1/028 Primary

  associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles · CPC title

• H04S1/002 Primary

  Non-adaptive circuits, e.g. manually adjustable or static, for enhancing the sound image or the spatial distribution (control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field H04S7/30) · CPC title