Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11743676-B2
Application number	US-201917269218-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2019
Priority date	Aug 24, 2018
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

Provided is an information processing apparatus including: a speaker array that includes a plurality of speakers, and performs wavefront synthesis by using an output of the plurality of speakers; and a presentation unit that presents visual information indicating a state of waves on a wavefront formed in the wavefront synthesis, or presents visual information based on positional information of a virtual sound image that has been formed in a position that is different from a vicinity of the speaker array in the wavefront synthesis.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:
a speaker array that includes a plurality of speakers, and performs wavefront synthesis by using an output of the plurality of speakers; and
circuitry configured to control presentation of visual information indicating a state of sound waves on a wavefront formed in the wavefront synthesis, or presentation of visual information based on positional information of a virtual sound image that has been formed in a position that is different from a vicinity of the speaker array in the wavefront synthesis, wherein the visual information relating to the sound waves or to the virtual sound image is projected by a projection device onto a surface in front of the speaker array as a projection display and wherein the projected visual information represents sound waves that emanate from a position on the surface aligned with a position of the virtual sound image.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the visual information indicating the state of the waves on the wavefront formed in the wavefront synthesis includes a video of the waves on the wavefront.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the video of the waves on the wavefront is generated by using a plurality of images of the waves on the wavefront, the plurality of images being generated on a basis of metadata included in a sound source.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the video of the waves on the wavefront is generated by using a plurality of images of the waves on the wavefront, the plurality of images being generated on a basis of sound data included in a sound source.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the circuitry is further configured to perform correction processing on each of the plurality of images of the waves on the wavefront.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the video of the waves on the wavefront is generated by combining videos of the waves on the wavefront that each have been generated in predetermined frame units.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein each of the videos of the waves on the wavefront that each have been generated in the predetermined frame units is generated by slowly reproducing a plurality of images of the waves on the wavefront, the plurality of images being generated in the predetermined frame units.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the video of the waves on the wavefront is generated by combining videos each obtained by weighting and adding the videos of the waves on the wavefront that each have been generated in the predetermined frame units.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the positional information of the virtual sound image includes a position of the virtual sound image or a distance between the virtual sound image and the speaker array, and
the circuitry is configured to control presentation of visual information that corresponds to the position of the virtual sound image, or visual information that corresponds to the distance between the virtual sound image and the speaker array.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein the circuitry is configured to control presentation of the visual information in at least one predetermined position of an upper side, a lower side, or a space relative to a sound emission direction of the speaker array.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the visual information is projected onto a floor or a ceiling.

12. An information processing method executed by circuitry, the method comprising:
controlling wavefront synthesis by using an output of a speaker array including a plurality of speakers; and
controlling presentation of visual information indicating a state of sound waves on a wavefront formed in the wavefront synthesis, or presentation of visual information based on positional information of a virtual sound image that has been formed in a position that is different from a vicinity of the speaker array in the wavefront synthesis, wherein the visual information relating to the sound waves or to the virtual sound image is projected by a projection device onto a surface in front of the speaker array as a projection display and wherein the projected visual information represents sound waves that emanate from a position on the surface aligned with a position of the virtual sound image.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, perform an information processing method comprising:
controlling wavefront synthesis by using an output of a speaker array including a plurality of speakers; and
controlling presentation of visual information indicating a state of sound waves on a wavefront formed in the wavefront synthesis, or presentation of visual information based on positional information of a virtual sound image that has been formed in a position that is different from a vicinity of the speaker array in the wavefront synthesis, wherein the visual information relating to the sound waves or to the virtual sound image is projected by a projection device onto a surface in front of the speaker array as a projection display and wherein the projected visual information represents sound waves that emanate from a position on the surface aligned with a position of the virtual sound image.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Murata Naoki
• Mitsufuji Yuhki

Classifications

• H04S7/40 Primary

  Visual indication of stereophonic sound image · CPC title

• G06T11/00

  Two-dimensional [2D] image generation · CPC title

• H04R5/02

  Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers · CPC title

• G10K15/00

  Acoustics not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• H04S2420/13

  Application of wave-field synthesis in stereophonic audio systems · CPC title