Area reproduction system and area reproduction method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024153519-A1
Application number	US-202418407720-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 9, 2024
Priority date	Jul 14, 2021
Publication date	May 9, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

An area reproduction system includes a speaker array with a plurality of speakers arranged side by side, receives an input of a reproduced sound, collects an environmental sound in a non-reproduction area different from a reproduction area in which a sound beam of the reproduced sound is emitted, acquires noise included in the environmental sound and a leakage sound leaking to the non-reproduction area, generates a masking sound having a sound pressure higher than that of the leakage sound based on the frequency characteristics of the sound pressures of the noise and the leakage sound, adjusts the directivity of the masking sound to be output from each of the plurality of speakers in such a manner that the sound beam of the masking sound is emitted to the non-reproduction area while avoiding a listener, and causes each of the plurality of speakers to output the adjusted masking sound.

First claim

1 . An area reproduction system, comprising:
a reproduction unit including a speaker array in which a plurality of speakers is arranged side by side; an audio input unit that receives an input of a reproduced sound to be listened by a listener; a sound collection unit that collects an environmental sound in a non-reproduction area different from a reproduction area in which a sound beam of the reproduced sound is emitted; an acquisition unit that acquires noise in the non-reproduction area included in the environmental sound and a leakage sound that is the reproduced sound leaking to the non-reproduction area; a generation unit that generates a masking sound having a sound pressure higher than a sound pressure of the leakage sound on a basis of frequency characteristics of sound pressures of the noise and the leakage sound; and a directivity control unit that adjusts directivity of the masking sound to be output from each of the plurality of speakers in such a manner that a sound beam of the masking sound is emitted to the non-reproduction area while avoiding the listener, wherein the reproduction unit causes each of the plurality of speakers to output the masking sound with adjusted directivity.

2 . The area reproduction system according to claim 1 , wherein
the generation unit generates, as the masking sound, a sound obtained by adjusting a sound pressure of the noise or a sound acquired in advance to be higher than a sound pressure of the leakage sound at each of a plurality of frequencies.

3 . The area reproduction system according to claim 1 , wherein
in a case where the sound pressure of the noise is equal to or lower than a predetermined lower limit level, the generation unit stops generating the masking sound, and the reproduction unit stops outputting the masking sound.

4 . The area reproduction system according to claim 1 , wherein
in a case where the reproduced sound is a recorded sound, the acquisition unit acquires the noise and a predicted leakage sound that is the reproduced sound predicted to leak to the non-reproduction area after a predetermined time, and the generation unit generates a sound having a sound pressure higher than a sound pressure of the predicted leakage sound as the masking sound to be output after the predetermined time on a basis of frequency characteristics of sound pressures of the noise and the predicted leakage sound.

5 . The area reproduction system according to claim 1 , wherein
when it is detected that a sudden sound in which a sound pressure instantaneously increases is included in the noise, the generation unit removes the sudden sound from the noise, and then generates the masking sound on a basis of frequency characteristics of sound pressures of the noise from which the sudden sound has been removed and the leakage sound.

6 . The area reproduction system according to claim 1 , wherein
the directivity control unit adjusts a width and an emitting direction of the sound beam in such a manner that the sound beam of the masking sound avoids a head position of the listener.

7 . The area reproduction system according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a sensor that acquires information regarding a head position of the listener, wherein the directivity control unit specifies the head position of the listener on a basis of the information regarding the head position of the listener acquired by the sensor.

8 . The area reproduction system according to claim 1 , wherein
the directivity control unit adjusts the directivity of the masking sound in such a manner that a sound beam of the masking sound is emitted from a speaker farther from the listener as the speaker array is longer.

9 . The area reproduction system according to claim 1 , wherein
the acquisition unit acquires, as the leakage sound, a sound obtained by convolving the reproduced sound received by the audio input unit with a predetermined transfer function of sound from an arrangement position of the reproduction unit to an arrangement position of the sound collection unit, and acquires, as the noise, a sound obtained by removing the acquired leakage sound from the environmental sound.

10 . An area reproduction method executed by a computer of an area reproduction system including a speaker array in which a plurality of speakers is arranged side by side, the area reproduction method comprising:
by the computer, receiving an input of a reproduced sound to be listened by a listener; collecting an environmental sound in a non-reproduction area different from a reproduction area in which a sound beam of the reproduced sound is emitted; acquiring noise in the non-reproduction area included in the environmental sound and a leakage sound that is the reproduced sound leaking to the non-reproduction area; generating a masking sound having a sound pressure higher than a sound pressure of the leakage sound on a basis of frequency characteristics of sound pressures of the noise and the leakage sound; adjusting directivity of the masking sound to be output from each of the plurality of speakers in such a manner that a sound beam of the masking sound is emitted to the non-reproduction area while avoiding the listener; and causing each of the plurality of speakers to output the masking sound with adjusted directivity.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Corp America

Inventors

• Nakahashi Kota
• Sakaguchi Atsushi

Classifications

• G10L2021/02166

  Microphone arrays; Beamforming · CPC title

• G10L21/0208 Primary

  Noise filtering · CPC title

• G10L21/028

  using properties of sound source · CPC title

• H04R1/323

  for loudspeakers (H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04S7/303

  Tracking of listener position or orientation · CPC title