Reproducing device, headphone and reproducing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017195787-A1
Application number	US-201715463148-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 20, 2017
Priority date	Oct 28, 2009
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A reproducing device includes a reproducing unit configured to reproduce a contents sound, an output unit configured to output the contents sound which has been reproduced using the reproducing unit to a headphone, a talk detection unit configured to detect that a headphone fitter who fits the headphone talks with a person and an image normal position control unit configured to move the normal position of the image of the contents sound which has been reproduced using the reproducing unit to an arbitrary position when the talk detecting unit has detected that the headphone fitter has started talking with the person.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A reproducing device, comprising:
circuitry configured to:
reproduce a contents sound that corresponds to a content;
output the reproduced contents sound to a headphone;
detect, based on a right sound signal and a left sound signal captured by a right microphone and a left microphone of the headphone, conversation by a wearer of the headset with a person,
wherein the detection is further based on a determination that the right sound signal and the left sound signal are equal and are above a threshold;
generate a control signal to move a normal position of an image of the contents sound based on the detection;
move the normal position of the image of the contents sound to a first position based on the generated control signal, wherein the first position is opposite to a second position of the person with respect to the wearer;
reduce a volume level of frequencies in the contents sound that correspond to a human voice; and
turn noise cancellation into an OFF state based on the detection.

2 . The reproducing device according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to analyze external sounds that have been picked up by the left microphone and the right microphone to determine that the wearer has started talking with the person.

3 . The reproducing device according to claim 2 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to determine that the wearer has finished talking with the person based on the external sounds that have been picked up by the left microphone and the right microphone, and based on a state in which the wearer is silent has lasted for a fixed time period.

4 . The reproducing device according to claim 2 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to:
cancel noise by synthesis of a sound which is out of phase with the external sounds; and synthesize the external sounds with the reproduced contents sound.

5 . The reproducing device according to claim 2 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to determine that the wearer has started talking with the person based on movement of a face of the wearer to a determined direction.

6 . The reproducing device according to claim 2 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to execute a beam-forming process to emphasize a sound which comes from a specific position of the external sounds which have been picked up by the right microphone and the left microphone.

7 . The reproducing device according to claim 2 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to determine, based on analysis of the external sounds which have been picked up by the right microphone and the left microphone and based on a detection of a determined word as a result of the analysis, that the wearer has started talking with the person.

8 . The reproducing device according to claim 2 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to, based on synthesis of the external sounds which have been picked up by the right microphone and the left microphone with the reproduced contents sound, increase a volume of sounds in a determined frequency band in the external sounds.

9 . The reproducing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the headphone includes a bone-conduction microphone, and the circuitry is further configured to determine that the wearer has started talking with the person based on analysis of sounds picked up by the bone-conduction microphone.

10 . The reproducing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the headphone includes a camera configured to photograph a subject which is present in front of the wearer, and the circuitry is further configured to determine that the wearer has finished talking with the person, based on an absence of the person from an image captured by the camera.

11 . A headphone, comprising:
circuitry configured to:
reproduce a contents sound that corresponds to a content;
detect, based on a right sound signal and a left sound signal captured by a right microphone and a left microphone of the headphone, conversation by a wearer of the headset with a person,
wherein the detection is further based on a determination that the right sound signal and the left sound signal are equal and are above a threshold;
generate a control signal to move a normal position of an image of the contents sound based on the detection;
move the normal position of the image of the contents sound to a first position based on the generated control signal, wherein the first position is opposite to a second position of the person with respect to the wearer;
reduce a volume level of frequencies in the contents sound that correspond to a human voice; and
turn noise cancellation into an OFF state based on the detection.

12 . A method, comprising:
reproducing a contents sound that corresponds to a content; outputting the contents sound that has been reproduced to a headphone; detecting, based on a right sound signal and a left sound signal captured by a right microphone and a left microphone of the headphone, conversation by a wearer of the headset with a person, wherein the detection is further based on a determination that the right sound signal and the left sound signal are equal and are above a threshold; generating a control signal to move a normal position of an image of the contents sound based on the detection; moving the normal position of the image of the contents sound to a first position based on the generated control signal, wherein the first position is opposite to a second position of the person with respect to the wearer; reducing a volume level of frequencies in the contents sound that correspond to a human voice; and turning noise cancellation into an OFF state based on the detection.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Ichimura Kiminobu

Classifications

• G06F3/165

  Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path · CPC title

• H04R2460/13

  Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers · CPC title

• G10L25/84

  for discriminating voice from noise · CPC title

• H04R2201/107

  Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication · CPC title

• H04R2460/01

  Hearing devices using active noise cancellation · CPC title