Electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9369796-B2
Application number	US-201213982966-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2012
Priority date	Feb 1, 2011
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

There are provided an oscillation device that outputs a sound wave; a recognition unit that recognizes a direction in which sound output targets ( 80 ), for which a sound is to be output, are located; a selection unit that selects at least one of the sound output targets ( 80 ); a distance calculation unit that calculates a distance to the sound output target ( 80 ); and a control unit that controls the oscillation device to adjust sound pressure of the sound wave. The oscillation device outputs an ultrasonic wave for a sensor and a sound wave for sound reproduction. The distance calculation unit calculates a distance between the oscillation device and an object to be selected ( 82 ) by detecting the ultrasonic wave for a sensor reflected from the object to be selected ( 82 ) selected by the selection unit. The control unit adjusts the magnitude of the output of the sound wave for sound reproduction on the basis of the calculated distance between the oscillation device and the object to be selected ( 82 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
an oscillation device that outputs a sound wave;
a recognition unit that recognizes a direction in which sound output targets, for which a sound is to be output, are located;
a selection unit that selects at least one of the sound output targets according to an operation of an operation terminal by a user;
a distance calculation unit that calculates a distance to the sound output target; and
a control unit that controls the oscillation device to adjust sound pressure of the sound wave,
wherein the oscillation device outputs an ultrasonic wave for a sensor and a sound wave for sound reproduction,
the distance calculation unit calculates a distance between the oscillation device and the selected sound output target by detecting the ultrasonic wave for a sensor reflected from the sound output target selected by the selection unit,
the control unit adjusts magnitude of an output of the sound wave for sound reproduction on the basis of the calculated distance between the oscillation device and the selected sound output target, and
the recognition unit includes an imaging unit that generates an image data by imaging a region including the sound output targets and a determination unit that determines the direction, in which the sound output targets are located, by processing the image data.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the distance calculation unit calculates the distance between the oscillation device and the selected sound output target on the basis of a time until the ultrasonic wave for a sensor is detected by the distance calculation unit after being oscillated by the oscillation device.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit controls the oscillation device so that a modulation wave of a parametric speaker oscillates and is directed toward only the selected sound output target.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3 ,
wherein a plurality of the oscillation devices are provided,
the selection unit selects a plurality of sound output targets, and
the control unit controls the oscillation devices so that the sound wave is directed toward each of the plurality of selected sound output targets and the magnitude of the output of the sound wave is adjusted for each of the plurality of selected sound output target.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit adjusts sound pressure of a sound, which is to be reproduced for the selected sound output target, by controlling amplitude of the sound wave for sound reproduction.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit adjusts sound pressure of a sound, which is to be reproduced for the selected sound output target, by controlling directivity of the sound wave for sound reproduction.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the selection unit selects sound pressure at a position of the selected sound output target, and
the control unit adjusts the magnitude of the output of the sound wave for sound reproduction so that a sound with the selected sound pressure is reproduced at the position of the selected sound output target.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the recognition unit recognizes attributes of the selected sound output target, and
the control unit controls a frequency of the sound wave for sound reproduction, which is to be output for the selected sound output target, on the basis of the recognized attributes.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the recognition unit follows and recognizes a position of the sound output target, and
the calculation of the distance between the oscillation device and the selected sound output target by the distance calculation unit and the adjustment of the magnitude of the output of the sound wave for sound reproduction by the control unit are performed on the basis of a position of the sound output target recognized by the recognition unit at any time.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electronic device is a mobile communication terminal.

Assignees

• Yagihashi Ayumu
• Kitatani Kenichi
• Aoki Hiroyuki
• Katou Yumi
• Murayama Atsuhiko
• Sugahara Seiji
• Nec Corp

Inventors

• Yagihashi Ayumu
• Kitatani Kenichi
• Aoki Hiroyuki
• Katou Yumi
• Murayama Atsuhiko
• Sugahara Seiji

Classifications

• H04N21/42201

  biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user (input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015) · CPC title

• H04R2430/01

  Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems · CPC title

• H04R1/32 Primary

  for obtaining desired directional characteristic only {(specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/40)} · CPC title

• H04N5/60

  for the sound signals · CPC title

• H04R2430/20

  Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic (H04R2203/12 takes precedence) · CPC title